VM_365 Day 14 History from things

Artefacts of conflict, display of weapons from World War One, Ellington Park Ramsgate
Artefacts of conflict, display of weapons from World War One, Ellington Park, Ramsgate

Our image today is of a display of World War One weapons and equipment at a day of commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the start of the war, held at Ellington Park, Ramsgate.

Archaeology is all about using material remainsĀ  to understand cultures and societies of the past, including the recent past. By collecting and curating examples of the objects that contributed to major periods of history, theĀ  scale of the events and the technologies involved become easier to appreciate.

From model trains to classic cars, curated collections are a form of archaeological research, creating ordered series of objects to demonstrate the form, function and change over time of objects that have been significant to the development of our ways of life.

In this centenary of such a momentous event in the lives of so many Europeans, the curation and display of objects associated with World War One provide a way to demonstrate ‘history from things’, which is really a form of archaeology.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *